Effects of fire regime on plant species richness and composition differ among forest, woodland and heath vegetation

Abstract

Question: Do the effects of fire regimes on plant species richness and composition differ among floristically similar vegetation types?Location: Booderee National Park, south-eastern Australia. Methods:We completed floristic surveys of 87 sites in Sydney Coastal dry sclerophyll vegetation, where fire history records have been maintained for over 55 years. We tested for associations between different aspects of the recent fire history and plant species richness and composition, and whether these relationships were consistent among structurally defined forest, woodland and heath vegetation types. Results:The relationship between fire regime variables and plant species richness and composition differed among vegetation types, despite the three vegetation types having similar species pools. Fire frequency was positively related to species richness in woodland, negatively related to species richness in heath, and unrelated to species richness in forest. These different relationships were explained by differences in the associations between fire history and species traits among vegetation types. The negative relationship between fire frequency and species richness in heath vegetation was underpinned by reduced occurrence of resprouting species at high fire frequency sites (more than four fires in 55 years). However, in forest and woodland vegetation, resprouting species were not negatively associated with fire frequency. Conclusions:We hypothesize that differing relationships among vegetation types were underpinned by differences in fire behaviour, and/or biotic and abiotic conditions, leading to differences in plant species mortality and post-fire recovery among vegetation types. Our findings suggest that even when there is a high proportion of shared species between vegetation types, fires can have very different effects on vegetation communities, depending on the structural vegetation type. Both research and management of fire regimes may therefore benefit from considering vegetation types as separate management units.

Structure and diversity of trees on post-fire regenerated areas in Sierra de Guerrero, Mexico

“…The results regarding richness and diversity of species of this study were similar to some previous studies where it was found that fire do not affect trees diversity and on the contrary enhance species number in some cases, being considered as a significant evolutionary force (Keeley et al 2011, Gallegos-Rodríguez et al 2014, Hedo et al 2015, Pereira et al 2016, Foster et al 2017. The diversity of the fumigated area was similar to the control area but lower to the other areas.…”

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“…Tipe hutan ini sangat rentan terhadap kerusakan dan jika hutan kerangas mengalami kerusakan/degradasi lahan, maka akan sulit dipulihkan, terlebih secara alami (Kissinger et al, 2013). Hal ini dikarenakan pemulihan hutan setelah kerusakan dipengaruhi faktor-faktor antara lain tipe hutan, struktur vegetasi, tingkat dan intensitas gangguan, manajemen pengelolaan serta faktor biotik dan abiotik dari karakteristik hutan tersebut (Foster et al, 2018).…”

A physiological understanding of organismal responses to fire

“…Notably, it will be diffi cult to develop a management plan that will benefi t every organism in a community. Previous studies have revealed that there are variations in the way species respond to fi res -for example, some plants need regular fi res to germinate, whereas other plants face diffi culties in re-sprouting after a fi re [5]. Physiological research can aid in understanding the dynamics of population response by revealing the conditions needed for each species to thrive, the physiological mechanisms species employ to survive fi re, and how organisms use energy in response to an altered habitat.…”